Magazine Mockups PSD

Need to show an editorial spread to a client? This magazine mockup does the job in a few minutes.

Good pick for publishers, design students or anyone putting together a portfolio. A small tip: use CMYK-friendly colours in the artwork itself, even though the mockup is RGB, so what the client sees is close to print.

Print jobs are expensive to redo, so a realistic preview before the order goes out is cheap insurance.

MockupFree created this one and hosts the download on their own site, so you always get the latest version straight from the source.

Magazine Mockups: editable parts

The PSD is layered, so you can change:

• Your design, placed through the smart object
• Paper texture you can turn up or down
• Front and back artwork, where both sides are shown
• Shadows and highlights on their own layers

Editing the Magazine Mockups, step by step

1. Set up the design flat at the real print size and keep text inside a safe margin.
2. Open the PSD in Photoshop and find the smart object layer, usually named “Your Design” or “Place Here”.
3. Drop your artwork in, fit it to the canvas, save and close. The mockup updates by itself.
4. Save a JPG for clients and social media, and keep the PSD for later changes.

Worth remembering: if the paper has texture, drop the opacity of your art by a few percent so the grain shows through.

Where the Magazine Mockups works best

• Share a company newsletter on Instagram, Behance or Dribbble with a real-looking preview.
• Use it as the cover image for a magazine cover in your portfolio.
• Make two or three colour versions of an editorial spread and let the client pick.

Before you download

• Made by MockupFree. The download size and format are listed on their page.
• Built for Adobe Photoshop. A recent CC version handles the smart objects best.
• Check the licence on the author’s page. Personal and commercial terms differ from file to file.

Need a different angle? The magazine mockups category has plenty more free PSD files.